ethnography
eth-NOG-ruh-fee
/ɛθˈnɒɡrəfi/
The scientific description of the customs of individual peoples and cultures.
Ethnography is both a process (the research itself) and a product (the resulting book or article).
The story behind the word. Coined in the late 18th century, it combines the Greek 'ethnos' (nation or people) with 'graphein' (to write). It literally means 'writing about people,' reflecting the early anthropological goal of documenting 'exotic' cultures for European audiences.
Word relationships
- cultural study: A broader term that might not involve the rigorous fieldwork required for ethnography.
- case study: Focuses on a specific instance or individual, whereas ethnography focuses on a whole culture or group.
- abstract theory: Theory is generalized and conceptual, while ethnography is grounded in specific, lived reality.
Commonly confused with
- ethnology: Ethnography is the study of a single group; ethnology is the comparative study of multiple groups.
Word family
- ethnographer (noun): A person who studies and writes about cultures.
- ethnographic (adjective): Relating to the scientific description of cultures.
Collocations
- digital ethnography
- urban ethnography
- ethnographic study
- conduct an ethnography
Example sentences
- "The aim of ethnography is to grasp the native's point of view, his relation to life, to realize his vision of his world." Anthropology foundation (Bronisław Malinowski, Argonauts of the Western Pacific (1922))
- "The tech company hired a specialist to conduct an ethnography of how teenagers use messaging apps in their daily lives." Modern application
Memory hook
Think of 'ethno' as ethnic and 'graphy' as geography or biography—it is the biography of an ethnic group. Ethno-Graphy: Writing the story of a people.
When not to use
Do not use it to describe a simple survey or a quick journalistic report; it implies long-term, deep study.
Fun facts
- The first ethnographies were often written by missionaries or colonial officials rather than trained scientists.
- Today, 'netnography' is a popular subfield that studies online communities.
Related words
Explore more words
folklore, artifact, tribal, multicultural, observation, custom
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.